[Jhamm]

Hi, I’ve been struggling with insomnia since 12/22 after getting Covid. Before this I’ve never had trouble sleeping ever..now I’m lucky to sleep 3-5 hrs / night. 3 weeks ago I started sleep restriction therapy which is not showing results. My sleep window is 1am – 8am. I’m very sleepy by 1am after reading on the couch and I fall asleep in 20 minutes on most nights, sometimes 30 minutes. I then sleep between 2-4 hrs (2 nights 5 hrs) my problem is after this initial block of sleep, I am in and out of sleep until my wake up time at 8am. (I’m not anxious so don’t get out of bed)
It’s not a deep sleep more of a surface sleep as my mind is active but I feel asleep ?? It’s strange! Should I tighten my sleep window? Please advise

Thank you!
Jules in GA

[Chee2308]

Hi!

What you described is very normal indeed. I don’t think you need to change anything. Yes, people tend to fall asleep faster and sleep deeper during the initial phase of the night but as the sleep drive wanes because it is getting depleted the more sleep you are getting, then any further sleep eventually gets lighter, and is usually characterized by more frequent awakenings and more vivid dreams. This is entirely very normal! What isn’t normal or even healthy is the stuff you are expecting, ie, the more you sleep, the sleepier you become which is akin to getting hungrier the more you eat, does that make any sense to you?? So expect these episodes to happen every night, if I were you, I would just get up and use the toilet for a bit and then climb back to bed to rest, drop all expectations and the pressure to sleep, and eventually I would just doze off at some point. Good luck to you, don’t blame yourself and your body for not sleeping, because that’s usually a result of your body being already quite well-rested in the first place!

[rjsf]

I have the same issue. Been doing a 6 hours sleep window for a week now, but waking up an hour or so before the window. I get up and try to relax but by the time I’m relaxed again, the sleep window is over. Should I just keep going with this and hope that my sleep duration will improve?

[Martin Reed]

I wonder whether, for as long as we try to make sleep happen or try to control our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, we might be making it more difficult for sleep to happen and we might also be giving all those thoughts, feelings, and emotions more power and influence over our lives?

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